HOME AND FARM MAGAZINE SECTION
Business Methods Count in Fanning
Also a High School Education, Says the United States Depart-
ment of Agriculture.
FAEMEES with a high school edu
cation make nearly double the
average income of those with
merely a common school education, and
those who start earliest make the most
profits, according to the Department of
Agriculture's investigators. The De
partment's Office of Farm Manage
ment has been conducting a series of
investigations in the corn belt which
have brought out many details that
should be of practical value to ail agri
culturists. These results have just been
publitihed in a new bulletin.
Under average conditions the farm,
according to this bulletin, is no place
for the weak or for those unable to
'direct work. The man who intends to
spend his working life in the country
should start early, for success is rot
gained in a moment but by many years
of persistent effort. It is true that
some farmers have made small fortunes
in a short time, but this is usually
through a phenomenal rise in land
values. Few men have become rich
from the real profits of the land. Those
who have done o usually needed a life
time in which to work. Through skill
in management and by bard labor a
comforfnble living and modi rate profits
may , be expected. Those persons who
are turning to the farm with the idea
of reaping large incomes are doomed
to seviro disappointment.
Iliose making the poorest incomes
were 8 yenrs of age when they started
farming and were past 30 when they!
uccumc owners. On the average the old
est men ore making the least profits.
Kniy farmers with very little school
ing sucerod, but t!ioc same men would
do better if, they Lad the opportunity
01 jiiiMur training, No one ever hears
a farmer regret that he spent a part of
ins early hie in Kluol.
In a list of Vi'i farms operated by
owners and "h larms operated by ten
ants t!i re wrro cr.ly eight men, four
owners and four t'naiits, who ucver
had n school training. Of the owners
and tenants 77 per cent attended a com
mon or district school. About 18 per
cent nttended a high school, and one
out of every 35 went to college or to
some institution of similar grade.
On the whole the tenants had received
more education than the owners, 23 per
cent of them having more than a die
trict school education, while only 20 per
cent of the owners had such training.
Those men having the best . training
made the largest incomes, although they
were materially helped in doing thii
by much larger farms and greater capi
tal.
Profitable Farming Keeps the Boy on
the Farm.
i arming is a. business the same as
any other industry, and until our
schools teach some of the fundamental
principles governing profitable farm
ing, the farm boy is likely to seek work
elsewhere. Considering that the farm
boys of today will bo the farmers of
tomorrow, too little attention is given
to their training.
Many boys leavo the farm because
they see no future in it. Another im
portant reason is the lack of profitable
work at home. A moderate sized farm
is necessary to give employment to the
farmer and his sons. The small farm
does not provide work; I'ence, the boys
must find employment elsewhere. Let
thorn fully understand how farm profits
and losses are made and there will be
an incentive to remain. First hiatus
our farms profitable, and the question
of keeping the boys there will solve
itself.
Successful farming is an individual,
economic problem. The farm is a com
bination of enterprises, and their in
dividual organization will determine, in
a largo measure, its profitableness.
Sufficient area and a proper organiza
tion of well-selcctei farm enterprises
to permit the maximum use of men,
horses and machinery, are the essen
tial characteristics of the most success
ful farms.
Size of the Farm Business.
No one expects a small grocery
storo which has only a few customers a
day to be a great financial success.
The total amount of business is insuf
ficient to earn the operator a substan
tial income. Exactly the same is true
with the small farm,- The votome of
business is limited by the are ia crops
ana the capital invested. The small
farm furnishes a home as well as much
of -the produce consumed by the family,
It it were not for these factors the
men on the small area would hardly
De awe to live.
Wages are a reward for labor, and
if a farm docs not provide work the
pay must bo correspondingly , small.
The family-size farm, which in the
corn belt should be above 100 acres.
is unquestionably a more efficient unit
than an area of 40 acres or less. Crops
can tie grown cheaper, labor will be
better paid, and the farmer and his
family will enjoy more of the benefits
of modern civilization.
Quality of the Farm Business.
The farmer may have sufficient area
and grow the right kind of crops," yet
not be successful, owing to the poor
quality or his entire business. Poor
crops that do not pay the cost of pro
duction, and the feeding of these to un
productive livestock, r.re common causes
of failure. This characteristic of un
successful farming attracts much pub
lie attention. Such farms are unprofit
able largely through ignorance or in
difference on the part of the operator.
Under good management they can gen
erally be made successful.
Diversity of the farm business Im
proper organization of a large farm
limits its possibilities, just as area
limits the small farm. Single crops or
single livestock enterprises seldom util
lze farm labor at its maximum. Bv
having several crops there is not only
better distribution of labor, but the
chances of total loss from crop failures
are lessened. Fortunately, corn, oats
and wheat utilize the farmer's time
pretty thoroughly through the growing
season. In some parts of this country
certain crops that need labor only
part of the year may be so profitable
that the farmer can afford to be idle
the rest of the year. I'owever, these
are the exceptions. Most crops are not
profitable enough to permit any such
practice. Idle horses and machinery are
nearly as expensive as idle men.' If the
working equipment can all be kept
nsy on paying enterprises, success is
almost assured.
Adaptability of the Type of Farming,
Equally important in the selection
of enterprises to permit the miximum
use of labor is the consideration of the
profitableness of each. Dairy cows and
cash crops may utilize al lof the farm
er's time, but in Certain regions, pos
sibly, dairy cattle under the best man
agement could hardly be made to pay
a profit. Markets and other conditions
have to be carefully considered in
choosing the enterprises which are to
constitute the main sources of income.
Fitting the right crop to the soil and
selling it to the proper market or feed
ing it to the right kind of livestock
are important factors. Following such
types of farming as are unsuitcd to the
region is often a cause of unprofitable
agriculture in some of the older settled
states.
The wido fluctuation in prices of cer
tain Crops makes it extremely difficult
for a farmer to choose a definite rota
tion. One year they will be such as to
give handsomo prof its. on certain crops,
and the next year they may be insuf
ficient to pay the cost of production.
The question confronting the average
farmer is not so much one of produc
tion as it is of marketing. Most farm
ers are able to grow i. sufficient quan
tity of crops to give theci a very com
fortable living if they are assured of
reasonable prices for their products.
lowever, under present conditions he
farmer has to take big chances with
nearly all of his crops. If he is so un
fortunate as to have a combination of
crops every one of which is low in price
n some particular year, severe losses
will be the result. Potatoes, apples,
peaches ,onions and rabbage are good
lluBirat one of the crops that fluctuate
widely in price from year to year.
The essential characteristics of the
more successful farms are a sufficient
area and a proper organization of well
selected farm enterprises to permit the
maximum use of men, horses and machinery.
CAUSE OF FOUE-LEAVED CLOVEB.
SINCE a four-lcaved clover is said
to be "lucky," it might be well
to known how it happens that
while most clover has only three leaves,
one is found now and then with four.
-According to J. Ferriraz, who dis
cusses the question in the Archives-des
Sciences Physiques ct Naturelles, clov
era with more than three leaves are due
to two causes one hereditary, the
other nutritive. After a moist season
clover plants with four or even five,
six or seven leaves are relatively com
mon, and plants with only two leaves
are also seen at such times, but these
are very rare.
But some are abnormal by heredity
and reproduce themselves with the same
characteristics in successive years when
their environment remains the same.
external influences merely modifying
the size of the leaves.
COWPEAS AS FOOD FOE MAN,
fcOWPEAS are particularly well suit-
f ed for use in localities where they
will mature crops, and both their
nutritive value and cneapness, as well
as their good flavor and the numerous
ways in which they can be used should
recommend them to the housewife.
Though favorably known as a staple
food in the southern states, the cowpea
has not come into general use through
out the United States. It is well worth
greatly extended use as it is whole
some, nutritious and possesses a peculiar
delicate and pleasing flavor. Cowpeas
are used on the table in three forms.
In the pod, shelled green and shelled
dried. In tese three forms they corre
spond respectively to string beans,
shelled green peas and dried navy beans,
and call for much the same methods of
preparation for the table.
The expense for twine in cutting 10,-
000 acres in an Eastern state averaged
21 cents per aere or seven-tenths of a
eent per bushel. ,
Women buy from 75 to 90 per cent
of the merchandise sold, says a trade
journal.
War and Business
life are two vastly different things
but they are alike in this proper pre
paration is NECESSARY to success in
either.
CENTRAL
Commercial
College
The moat modern method of instruction
and too test teachera obtainable, both In
ability and experience. ;
Efficiency the watchword In modem busi-
wei ia the watchword ia this school. Rapid
progress combined with thoroughness. In a
nutshell our coarsen are as short aa any
good courses can be and completing a eourae
guarantees getting a petition. Write today
C, E. CARLTON, Principal.
CENTRAL BUILDING
Portland - Oregon
THE STORY OF
A STUDENT
No. 5.
Thanks tr the ftmuid training at the
BEHNKB . WALKER BUSINESS COIr
LEGE, he has "made good" and has
been speedily promoted.
Some of our graduates are holding
positions paying from $2,000 to $10,000
per annum. We can do the same for you.
BUSINESS COLLEGE.
I. M. Walker, President.
PORTLAND, OREGON.
Write us. No trouble to answer.
THE LIFE CAREER
"Schooling in youth should invariably be
directed to prepare a penon in the beat war '
for the beat permanent occupation for which
he is capable." President C. W. Knot
This is the Mission of the
II
11
Forty-sixth School Year Opens
SEPTEHBER i8th, 1014
Write for Illustrated ico-page Book
let "The Life Career," and for Cata
log containing full Information.
Degree Courses AGRICULTURE :
Aironomy.Animal Husbandry. Dah-vHus.
bandry, Poultry Husbandry, Horticulture. .
Agriculture for Teachers. FORESTRY,
Logging engineering, home ECO
NOMICS: DomesticSdence, Domestic Art
ENGINEERING: Electrical, Irrigation,
Highway, Mechanical, Chemical, Mining.
Ceramics. COMMERCE. PHARMACY.
INDUSTRIAL ARTS.
Vocational Courses-kvtcutnr: Dalrv.
Ing, Home Makers' Course, Industrial
Arts, Forestry, Business Short Course.
School of Music Pinna. Strin. Rand.
Voice Culture. . . . . .
Farmers Bui nets Court by Mail Free.
Addreas THB RBQrSTBAB.
(rw-T-15 to 9-9) Corvallia. nrettm
ELITE PRIVATE
BUSINESS COLLEGE
A little borax, dissolved In warm water,
will help to keep the children's teeth clean
and Bound.
University of Oregon
Thirty-Ninth Tear
New Buildings New Equipment
Additions to Faculty
Liberal Arts Journalism
and Sciences Law
Commerce Architecture
and Finance Teaching
Medicine Graduate School
For Catalogue and Literature
Send Postcard to Registrar,
' ' Eugene, Oregon.
A. K.
MAUDE 1 DECKER,
rrtneipaL
404 Commonwealth Building,
Portland, Oregon.
SPECIAL BATES
If Ton Enroll Before September 1st.
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
for young men mechanically inclined is
our Automobile Engineering Course. Ton
receire a thorough knowledge of repair
ing and assembling automobiles, and how
to operate gasoline engines of all kinds.
California hss more automobiles than
any other Western state. We help -on
find a position after graduation. Endorsed
by Home Industry League. Chartered
1903. Booklet describing this and 60
other money-making courses sent FREE
Dept. 6.
MODERN SCHOOL OF CORRESPONDENCE
Underwood Bldg., San Francisco.
Gillespie School of Expression
VOCAL, PHYSICAL AND ESTHETIC CULTURE
LITERATURE, WITH ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETIVE RENDERING
RHETORIC, ORATORY AND DRAMATIC ART
A STUDENTS' CLUB FOR DRILL IN EXTEMPORANEOUS SPEAKING
DEBATE AND PARLIAMENTARY LAW
CONTINUOUS FORENOON CLASSES
INDIVIDUAL WORK AFTERNOON AND EVENINGS
A PUBLIC CLASS EVERY MONDAY EVENING
Fall Term Opens October 13, 1914
Individual Work Begins September 9.
EMMA WILSON GILLESPIE, Principal.
134 Morrison Street. Phones Main 6034, A-4872. rortland, Oregoa